Why Onyx Believes Its Open Source Solution Will Revolutionize Enterprise Search
In the ever-evolving landscape of enterprise technology, companies are inundated with vast amounts of internal data. However, finding the right information quickly can be a daunting task for employees. Onyx aims to address this challenge with its innovative internal enterprise search tool, designed to streamline access to essential data. Unlike competitors like Glean, which has raised a staggering $600 million in venture capital, Onyx stands out as an open-source solution.
Quick Setup and Broad Connectivity
One of the key advantages of Onyx is its rapid deployment. Companies can get Onyx up and running in approximately 30 minutes. The platform seamlessly integrates with over 40 internal data sources, including:
- Salesforce
- GitHub
- Google Drive
Enterprise users have the option to subscribe to additional tiers of features, including enhanced sign-in security and increased encryption measures.
The Vision Behind Onyx
Chris Weaver, co-founder and co-CEO of Onyx, shared insights into the motivation behind the tool. Along with co-founder Yuhong Sun, both recognized a significant challenge in their engineering roles: the difficulty in locating essential information.
“We knew where things were roughly, but it was still kind of hard, and new people just couldn’t find anything,” Weaver stated. “It felt like there had to be a better way to do this.”
A Proven Track Record
This isn’t Weaver and Sun’s first entrepreneurial venture. Their initial projects included a live stats tracking app for Twitch streamers and a website for comparing specialty keyboards, both of which faced challenges. However, with Sun’s machine learning expertise and the rapid advancements in AI technology, Onyx, initially named Danswer, launched its open-source project in 2023, garnering immediate traction.
“Ramp was one of the early teams that found us,” Sun explained. “At that time, we didn’t have any paid features, but the interest was evident. It showed us there was potential to monetize our project.”
Growing Partnerships and Open Source Success
Today, Onyx collaborates with numerous enterprises, including Netflix, Ramp, and Thales Group. Weaver and Sun attribute their success to their decision to open source the software, which facilitates experimentation and shortens the enterprise sales cycle.
“Open source is really the only way for this type of solution to scale out and gain traction in every business globally,” Weaver asserted.
Navigating a Competitive Landscape
While Onyx is confident in its open-source strategy, it faces stiff competition from startups like Glean and established companies such as Klarna, which has developed its own internal search and chatbot tool named Kiki. However, Weaver believes that creating an internal search tool from scratch is complex and sees Onyx as a foundational resource for companies looking to build their own solutions.
“We’ve seen explosive growth in usage,” Sun noted. “We peaked at over 160,000 messages in a single week, and we hope this organic growth continues.”
Funding for Future Development
Recently, Onyx secured a $10 million seed funding round co-led by Khosla Ventures and First Round Capital, with contributions from Y Combinator and several angel investors, including Gokul Rajaram and Arash Ferdowsi. Onyx plans to utilize these funds to enhance its team and develop more premium features.
For more information about Onyx and its offerings, visit their official website. Discover how this innovative tool can transform your enterprise’s internal search capabilities.
